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WORLD NEWS Saturday 28 July 2018
World's oldest person, a Japanese woman, dies at 117

By MARI YAMAGUCHI months before the Pearl
TOKYO (AP) — A newly re- Harbor attack and served
leased memo by a wartime in the post for most of World
Japanese official provides War II.
what a historian says is the Furukawa said Tojo's re-
first look at the thinking of marks in the memo about
Emperor Hirohito and Prime his relief at completing the
Minister Hideki Tojo on the preparations for war sup-
eve of the Japanese at- port evaluations of him as
tack on Pearl Harbor that a good bureaucrat but not
thrust the U.S. into World a visionary leader. More
War II. decisive leadership might
While far from conclusive, have ended the war ear-
the five-page document lier, he said.
lends credence to the view "Tojo is a bureaucrat who
that Hirohito bears at least was incapable of mak-
some responsibility for start- ing own decisions, so he
ing the war. turned to the emperor as
At 8:30 p.m. in Tokyo, just his supervisor. That's why he
hours before the attack, had to report everything for
Tojo summoned two top the emperor to decide. If
aides for a countdown to the emperor didn't say no,
war briefing. One of them, then he would proceed,"
Vice Interior Minister Michio In this July 26, 2018, photo, Takeo Hatano, a used bookstore owner, shows the five-page "Yuzawa Furukawa said. "Clearly, the
Yuzawa, wrote an account memo," written by Michio Yuzawa, interior vice minister in 1941, in Tokyo. memo shows the absence
three hours after the meet- Associated Press of political leadership in Ja-
ing was over. pan."
"The emperor seemed at daytime meeting with Tojo administrative steps for His optimism was mis- Yuzawa wrote in the memo
ease and unshakable once on Dec. 7, 1941, but with- war had been taken and, placed. The Pearl Har- that he was "moved and
he had made a decision," out elaborating. most importantly, Hirohito bor attack killed nearly honored to get involved
he quoted Tojo as saying. The memo supports the had given him the final nod 2,400 U.S. servicemen and in war preparations at the
To what extent Hirohito was view that Hirohito was not without asking any ques- caused major damage to time of a crucial event
responsible for the war is as concerned about wag- tions. the U.S. Pacific Fleet. With- that would determine the
a sensitive topic in Japan, ing war on the U.S. as was "If His Majesty had any re- in months, however, the fate of the Imperial state."
and the bookseller who dis- once portrayed, Furukawa gret over negotiations with tide was turning. Tojo was He was later promoted to
covered the memo kept said. The emperor had en- Britain and the U.S., he blamed for prolonging the interior minister but turned
it under wraps for nearly a dorsed the government's would have looked some- war after it was clearly lost, critical of Tojo's leadership
decade before releasing it decision to scrap diplomat- what grim. There was no leading to the U.S. atomic and was dismissed from the
to Japan's Yomiuri newspa- ic options at a Dec. 1 meet- such indication, which must bombings of Hiroshima and Cabinet over a policy dif-
per, which published it ear- ing, and his unchanged be a result of his determina- Nagasaki in August 1945. ference.
lier this week. Hirohito was position the day before the tion," Tojo is quoted as say- He was later executed as "He is a man of passion and
protected from indictment attack reassured Tojo. ing in the memo. "I'm com- Class-A war criminal. loyalty," Yuzawa wrote of
in the Tokyo war crimes tri- Yuzawa's account portrays pletely relieved. Given the Tojo, whose administrative Tojo in a notebook he kept.
als during a U.S. occupa- Tojo as upbeat and feel- current conditions, I could skills and loyalty had won "But he is so narrow-minded
tion that wanted to use ing a sense of accomplish- say we have practically Hirohito's trust, was made and he has no philosophy
him as a symbol to rebuild ment after all the required won already." prime minister just two as a political leader."q
Japan as a democratic na-
tion. Hirohito died in 1989
at age 87 after 62 years on World's oldest person, a Japanese woman, dies at 117
the throne.
"It took me nine years to
come forward, as I was Associated Press to Guinness World Records,
afraid of a backlash," said TOKYO (AP) — The world's which had certified her
bookshop owner Takeo oldest person, a 117-year- title. Miyako enjoyed callig-
Hatano, who handled the old Japanese woman, has raphy, which she had prac-
document carefully as he died. ticed until recently, and
showed it to Associated Chiyo Miyako died Sunday. eating sushi and eel, Guin-
Press journalists. "But now Her death was confirmed ness said. Guinness said the
I hope the memo would Friday by Kanagawa pre- successor to her world re-
help us figure out what re- fecture, her home state cord is yet to be confirmed.
ally happened during the south of Tokyo. The new oldest person in
war, in which 3.1 million Miyako, born on May 2, Japan is a 115-year-old
people were killed." 1901, became the world's woman, Kane Tanaka of
Takahisa Furukawa, a Nihon oldest person in April af- Fukuoka on the southern is-
University expert on war- ter Nabi Tajima from Kikai land of Kyushu, the Ministry
time history who has con- island in southern Japan of Health, Labor and Wel-
firmed the authenticity of died at the age of 117. fare said.
the memo, called it the first Miyako's family called her The world's oldest man, Ma- In this Jan. 2, 2018, photo provided by Goodtime Home 1,
detailed portrayal of Tojo "the goddess" and remem- sazo Nonaka on Japan's Kane Tanaka flashes a peace sign during her 115th birthday
and Hirohito just before the bered her as a chatty per- northern island of Hokkai- celebration at her nursing home in Fukuoka, southwestern
attack. Palace documents son who was patient and do, celebrated his 113rd Japan. Associated Press
have confirmed Hirohito's kind to others, according birthday Wednesday.q